Canada's Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Developments, Prospectus and Reductions

Scientists say that if current carbon emissions levels remain unchanged, climate change and extreme weather patterns will be a fact by 2050. A report by the Parliamentary Budget Office says that carbon pricing needed to promote emissions cuts by 2030 would cost Canadians but not ruin the Canadian economy. (Mark Blinch/Canadian Press)

"We're looking for ideas on how to reduce emissions. On the best way to move forward with carbon. And [on] how we can best prepare for and, if possible, avoid the impacts of climate change ... It's important that all Canadians be part of this conversation."
"With my signature, I give you our word that Canada's efforts will not cease."
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UN Climate signing ceremony

"We are in a race against time. The era of consumption without consequences is over."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon 

Emissions in Canada have not been persuaded to stand put. Measure taken up to now have reduced emissions, but not substantially. They are steadily increasing, while a national plan is being worked on and the country is not even close to achieving its target or reducing carbon emissions by 30 percent by the year 2030. But the prime minister has signed the document, promising that Canada will be true to its word and in the final analysis, achieve its goal.

To do so, to bring national emissions down by 208 million tons could certainly be done if all gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, cars and trucks, were simply mothballed, put in storage or destroyed; taken off the road across the nation. Of course everything would come to a stop. Quite a steep price to pay for reducing emissions to that 'achievable' extent. Moreover, it is estimated that the cost to Canadians would incur a reduction in base income per individual per year of several thousand dollars.

And so, the Liberal government is consulting. Asking all Canadians to have a say. That is, if they have anything useful to submit for consideration. The general population can hardly be expected to announce a useful formulation that would take us fifteen years hence to a better world of managing our atmosphere through finer husbanding of resources and becoming more energy-compliant. The hope is that some unknown brilliant mind will conceive of something simple and effective.

We will have ample opportunity to see whether some scientific environmental genius rises to the occasion. The world would be forever grateful. A Nobel prize would be guaranteed. On the other hand, someone of rare principle might decline, viewing the politicization of late of that ignoble prize being presented to unworthy candidates, albeit not in the science categories necessarily.

The agreement is to be ratified by 55 countries whose global emissions account for 55 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. This time around every major emitter of greenhouse gases has set aside self-interest to announce voluntarily targets. Those targets, unfortunately are not binding. The strategy involved is that of peer pressure. There will be no report on the success or failure of each country to achieve its goal.

The broader, universal goal is to maintain global temperatures, to ensure they rise no more than 2 C from pre-industrial levels. Else the foreseen and dreaded catastrophe of rising sea levels will alter the world in inconceivable ways.